Innovative Fitness Half-Marathon

The Innovative Fitness Half Marathon, Ekiden Relay, 5K took place yesterday in “sunny” White Rock. This is a great community event with lots of local runners taking part. I enjoy going out to a race with so many familiar faces. Along with the Half Marathon that we took part in, is a relay event with 4 legs and also a 5 K, so there is really something for everyone. With the relay exchanges throughout the course there’s loads of encouragement along the way and varying speeds of runners. Just when you thought that you were into your run and found your pace, you’d be overtaken by a speedy relay runner with fresh legs.

It really is a well organized event with plenty of food, coffee, juices before the run and more than enough water and Gatorade stops along the run course. You started at the new South Surrey track with a loop of the track in the beginning of the run and at the end of the run, which helps the spectators to become more involved and cheer on their runners. The course was very scenic taking you through South Surrey and White Rock, twisting and winding and keeping the runners quite challenged. After the run, again there was loads of food and drinks and I really liked that the awards got underway promptly. No waiting around. All the volunteers were gratefully recognized with prizes. The grand prize was a mountain bike donated by Penninsula Cycles which you had to be there to claim. It just so happened that the woman that won the bike was walking the half marathon course at the time of the draw. I was delighted to see that the race organizers overruled and decided to make an exception and awarded the bike to her even though she wasn’t present at the drawing. Kudos to the organizers!!

Half Marathon winning times were:
Men - Drew Nicholson - 1:17:34
Female - Mary Walsh - 1:29:12

My Race(???)

I was very excited when I woke up yesterday morning to cloudy but clear skies – what a relief after the pouring rain that we had all day Saturday. The temperature was about 14 C. I felt well rested, not having run for 3 full days. I was ready to run.

The half marathon fell perfectly 3 weeks before the Victoria Marathon, so was a no brainer to include in our marathon training schedule. My last long run was 1 week ago, where we ran 23 miles and I felt great – mentally and physically. I was looking forward to running the half. I haven’t run a half marathon for six years now and have never clocked over 2 hours. I didn’t want today to be that day but feared that it could be. I think my times have gotten a bit slower over the years. However, my run went great. I felt strong for most of it and I was determined to beat that 2 hour mark. I was ecstatic when I crossed the finish line at 1:58:43. Roll on Victoria Marathon – I’m ready!

New Goals and Runner’s Safety

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the end of summer and how this brought about new beginnings  I set new goals to increase my fitness levels and get back into my regular running routine.  So what have I done about it?  Well, if you are a runner, then you probably feel the same as me - I love to run, but any other form of fitness or exercise is a chore because I would rather be running.  Because of this attitude that I have, my upper body strength really suffers.  I basically haven’t done any upper body exercises or core strength exercises for about 1-1/2 years.  So three weeks ago I joined our community “Body Sculpt” class.  I am now running 4 times a week and attending 2 body sculpt classes and my daughter said to me the other day how great I was looking.  What a compliment, because she tends to be more critical than complimentary.  I can feel the strength and muscle in my upper body in just 3 short weeks.  My running is starting to also feel more effortless.  There hasn’t been a huge difference in my weight, but my shape and conditioning is feeling much better.

The motivation that I get from just feeling fit and running easier just inspires me to get up for that early morning run or attend my body sculpt classes.  I love the rewards from my regular exercise routine.  If you haven’t set any goals yet, I would like to encourage you to do so.  Your goal may be to lose weight.  This can also be achieved by incorporating a healthy eating plan and increasing in your exercise routine.

With the onset of autumn, I also wanted to bring up a different subject and that is the one of safety.  Since I usually do my run early in the morning, I’m noticing that it is getting darker and darker, especially on cloudy days.  This has reminded me to be aware of my running safety, so I also wanted to pass this reminder onto runners that do their runs at dawn or dusk - Make sure that you are running in clothing that you can be seen in!  Wear running apparel that has reflective strips and bright pale colours on them so that passing cars can see you clearly. If you don’t have reflective fitness apparel, then wear a reflective vest.  I cannot stress the importance of this.  Don’t be caught in the dark without reflection.

Next Page »